China seeks better US ties while vowing not to cede on Taiwan

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China will remain engaged with the US on the basis of mutual respect, but will not “yield an inch” on core interests.

PHOTO: REUTERS

BEIJING – China called for a new model for its engagement with the US, seeking to cement a recent thaw with the Trump administration while reinforcing its red line on Taiwan.

“We will promote the healthy, stable, and sustainable development of China-US relations,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a speech at a symposium about foreign relations on Dec 30.

He added that China will remain engaged with the US on the basis of mutual respect, but will not “yield an inch” on core interests.

China’s top diplomat specifically proposed “a new paradigm of positive interaction” with Washington, even as he reiterated Beijing’s opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan.

Mr Wang also repeated the ruling Communist Party’s decades-long position that the “reunification of Taiwan” is a mission that must be achieved.

Mr Wang’s remarks come as China conducts one of its most

expansive live-fire drills

Despite the military support for Taipei, the Trump administration appears intent on keeping relations with Beijing on track.

Asked about the exercises around Taiwan, US President Donald Trump

touted his ties to Chinese President Xi Jinping

“I have a great relationship with President Xi and he hasn’t told me anything